Rubber stamp



y 1963 D. MCLAUGHLIN, JR

RUBBER STAMP Filed Dec. 28, 1961 INVENTOR.

DONAL MC LAUGHLIN. JR.

ATTORNE Y United States Patent 3,096,713 RUBBER STAMP Donal McLaughlin, Jr., 10706Weymouth St., Garrett Park, Md. Filed Dec. 28, 1961, Ser- No. 162,736 1 Claim. (Cl. 101-379) This invention relates generally to rubber stamps, and more particularly to rubber stamps of the type used for applying inked impressions, such as, imprints of titles, architect or notary seals, return addresses and the like, to paper sheets and envelopes.

Existing rubber stamps usually include a wooden handle having a rubber body adhesively or otherwise secured to the bottom thereof, with the rubber body having a bottom marking surface which is provided with the desired imprint in cameo, that is, in the form of suitable raised characters which receive ink from an inking pad for application to a paper sheet or the like when the marking surface is pressed against the latter. When using such existing rubber stamps, difficulty is experienced in properly locating the inked impression applied to the paper sheet with respect to the edges, ruled title box or margins of the latter.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a rubber stamp with guide means by which the inked impression applied to a paper sheet or the like may be accurately located or registered with respect to the edges, ruled title box or margins of the paper sheet.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a manually operable stamp having a resiliently flexible body with a bottom marking surface is provided with a transparent plate secured to the top of the body and extending substantially beyond the periphery of the latter, such transparent plate having guide lines thereon which can be visually aligned with the edges of a paper sheet or with the lines of a title box or margin ruled on the paper sheet for accurately locating the inked impression applied to the paper sheet by the stamp.

The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent in the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a rubber stamp embodying the invention, and illustrating the manner in which such rubber stamp may be accurately located with respect to a paper sheet to which an inked impression is to be applied;

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the rubber stamp of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 2, but showing another embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, it will be seen that a stamp embodying the present invention, and there gene-rally identified by the reference numeral 10, comprises the usual rubber, or other resiliently flexible body 11 preferably made up of a top layer 12 of sponge or other soft rubber and a layer 13 of relatively harder rubber vulcanized or adhesively secured to the bottom of layer 12 and having a bottom marking surface 14 formed with the desired design in cameo, that is, in the form of suitable raised characters 15 (FIG. '2).

In accordance with the present invention, the stamp further comprises a thin plate 16 of transparent, preferably plastic material, for example, cellulose acetate, methyl methacrylate or the like, which is sulficiently stiff to be self-supporting, and yet resiliently flexible to some extent. The transparent plate 16 is adhesively secured, at its central portion, to the top surface of body 11 and extends Ice substantially beyond the periphery of the latter. Further, transparent plate -16 is preferably rectangular and provided with suitably located, crossing guide lines 17 (FI G. l) which may be printed or scored on the surface of plate 16.

If desired, an imprint 18 corresponding to the inked impression to be applied by the stamp 10 may be silk screened or otherwise printed directly on the central portion of the top surface of transparent plate 16, or applied to a piece of paper 19 which is coextensive with the body 11 and adhesively secured to the top surface of plate 16 above body 11 (FIG. 1), for facilitating identification of the stamp and its orientation.

In using the above described stamp 10 for applying an inked impression to a sheet S of paper or the like, the opposite side edges of plate 16 can be grasped by the thumb and middle finger of one hand, leaving the index finger of that hand free to bear against the central portion of plate 16. After the ink has been applied to the marking surface 14 of body 11 by pressing that surface against an inking pad, the stamp 10 is positioned above the sheet S, as shown in FIG. 1, and the inked impression to be applied to the latter is accurately located by visually aligning either the edges of plate '16 with the edges of the sheet S or the guide lines 17 of plate 16 with ruled margins or lines 20 on the sheet S. After such visual alignment has been accomplished, the central portion of plate 16 is pressed downwardly by the index finger, thereby to apply the marking surface 14 of body 11 against the sheet for imprinting the latter.

Although the transparent plate 16 of stamp 10 may be grasped in manipulating the latter, as described above, a stamp embodying the present invention, for example, the stamp generally identified as 10a on FIG. 3, may be provided with a conventional wooden handle 21 adapted to be grasped for manipulating the stamp and being adhesively or otherwise secured to the top of the central portion of transparent plate 16a. Further, if desired, the plate 16a may have its central portion upwardly dished or recessed, as at 22 on FIG. 3, to receive the body 11a so that the peripheral portions of transparent plate 16:: carrying the guide lines are disposed in a plane that is spaced only a small distance upwardly relative to the marking surface 1411, thereby to reduce parallax when visually aligning the edges or guide lines of plate 16a with the edges, margins or other ruled lines on the sheet to which an inked impression is to be applied.

It will be apparent from the above that, in accordance with the present invention, a rubber stamp is provided with means by which accurate location of the inked impression can be visually attained, and that such means, in the form of a transparent plate 16 or 16a, is relatively inexpensive to incorporate in the rubber stamp and is conveniently used for the stated purpose.

Although illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawing, it is to be noted that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention, except as defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A manually operable stamp comprising a transparent, plastic plate having its central portion offset upwardly relative to the plane of the peripheral portions of said plate, and a resiliently flexible body secured to the underside of said central portion of the plate and having a bottom marking surface projecting below said peripheral portions of the plate and adapted to apply an inked impression to a sheet by being pressed against the latter, said peripheral portions of the plate having right-'angularly related guide lines thereon for visually locating the inked impression relative to the sheet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Kennedy et a1 Dec. 11, 1917 

